Benjamin Franklin is said to have written a letter to his daughter in which he suggested that the wild turkey might be a more fitting national symbol than the bald eagle to represent the fledgling United States. Of course, the eagle won out – and who doesn’t like to see a majestic bald eagle soaring overhead – but there is one day a year when the turkey does become our de facto national bird. Thanksgiving.

Many families roast a plump store-bought bird for the traditional feast. Others, the fortunate ones I believe, get to enjoy the tasty meat of a wild turkey. Wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is often part of the usual menu at our annual feast. Some years, it’s a whole roasted bird (and let me tell you, cleaning and then thoroughly plucking a mature gobbler is no simple task).

Whatever fare you serve on this uniquely American holiday, taking a moment to reflect on this great country’s abundant blessings is appropriate. The many things I’m thankful for began washing over me, warming me one recent, frigid early morning a few years ago as I sat in a stand of beautiful white and red oaks.

I'm thankful for that bird and the habitat from which it came. I’m thankful for my family and friends and the opportunity to share a Thanksgiving bird and the experience of hunting wild turkeys with them. I'm thankful for the deer I've hunted, the ones that fill my freezer with boneless, nutritious hand-cut venison. I am thankful for that animal and for the world in which it resided.

I’m thankful for outdoors mentors I had as a child. My grandfather Walter, my Uncle Smithy, my mom and dad, plus a handful of others who willingly hauled me to the waters or the woods, encouraged me to develop outdoors skills and helped instill a lifelong passion.

Preserving our outdoor traditions is critical. I’m thankful for family members and friends I’ve been fortunate to mentor, ideally teaching them not only how to hunt, fish or shoot, but also why we do so and the importance of doing it ethically and responsibly.

I’m thankful for healthy, wild fish and game on the table. I'm thankful for the memories represented by the wild game mounts on my walls – each a time machine transporting me back to that moment when that esteemed, honored animal’s life and my own intersected.

I’m thankful for the camaraderie shared before, during and after many outdoors expeditions, the meals we've shared, stories we've told. I'm thankful for the many new friends I’ve met in hunting and fishing camps near and far.

I’m thankful when the bobber goes down, whether I’m fishing alone or with friends. I’m doubly thankful when I hear squeals of delight and excitement from a young child as they watch that bobber dip and realize they may be about to catch their first fish. Watching many youngsters catch their first fish has been an uplifting blessing for me, something that goes well beyond “thankful.”

So, yes, I’m thankful for fish that bite, boats that don’t leak, and glorious sunrises and sunsets on the water or in the wild - scenes that inspire a sense of wonder and awe.

I’m thankful for the opportunities I've had to help share information about events, people and places in our great outdoors and, occasionally, offer some of my own viewpoints about conservation and what Aldo Leopold called the “land ethic,” -- or as some have termed it, “moral responsibility to the natural world.” I’m thankful for fellow outdoors communicators who also bring their own unique and thoughtful experiences and insights to the fore.

In that vein, I’m thankful for faithful stewards of our lands, both public and private. I’m thankful for beautiful state and national parks, and for visionaries like Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, Gifford Pinchot and others, who helped preserve and protect incredible places.

I'm thankful for big tracts of woods and places where traffic's din is faint, if heard at all, thankful for places where stars in the night sky shine brightly without need for the glare of artificial lights designed to further commerce, convenience or security.

The Little Things

Then, there are the little things.

I’m thankful for those contemplative moments when I’m sitting quietly in the deer woods, often around Veterans Day, and a strong breeze on a sunny day sends showers of leaves cascading all around and over me. I’m thankful for being able to listen to the gentle gurgling of a clear, cool mountain stream as it flows over smooth rocks. I’m thankful for being able to immerse myself in nature, becoming nearly invisible within that setting and watching Mother Earth's tableau unfold before me. Whether it’s watching a box turtle carefully navigate along a creek bed, seeing a young raccoon exploring fallen timber looking for snacks, or hearing the slight whoosh of a hawk’s wings as it silently glides by while attempting to nab a squirrel, such moments inspire.

I’m thankful for a thunderous gobble on a crisp spring morning, a whitetail doe flying her white flag as she hightails it to cover, and the nocturnal call of the whippoorwill. I'm thankful for flocks of birds putting on a spectacular show as they frantically dive for bait fish on the water’s surface while schools of tuna, bluefish or mackerel aggressively feed just below.

I’m thankful for things we sometimes take for granted, such as clean air to breathe, clean water, fertile and safe soils for crops, warm clothes, freedom to vote, freedom of speech, the men and women of law enforcement, the military, fire departments and emergency responders, and the blessings of reasonably good health.

And, I can’t forget, I’m thankful for a supportive spouse who has put up with my ramblings (both the travels and conversations) for more than a quarter of a century, good friends present and past, smiles and laughter of children and grandchildren, good bourbon, Irish and rye whiskey, warm wood stoves, flannel sheets in winter, mellow, sweet-playing guitars, live music, snowball fights, good dogs (especially my boy Jameson), hot crabs and cold beer, dependable trucks, and the Red Sox winning the World Series (four times now) in my lifetime.

Yes, Thanksgiving can prompt many reasons to be grateful. When you start counting your blessings, the list can get a little long. There's so much more I left out...

Finally, I’m thankful for you, the person who checks in occasionally and took the time to read this. Happy Thanksgiving.